UFC 144: Head-to-Toe Breakdown of Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson

For the first time since 2010, UFC Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar will defend his title against an opponent not named BJ Penn or Gray Maynard at this weekend's UFC 144.

Challenging his crown will be former WEC Lightweight champion Benson Henderson, who took the top contender status after rolling over some of the best 155ers since coming over to the UFC.

Both fighters are explosive and well-rounded, making for a sure fire show in the promotion's long awaited return to Japan. With these two exciting lightweights headlining the event, there is no doubt that the Japanese fan base will be treated to a possible Fight of the Night war.

Here's the head-to-toe breakdown of this lightweight title fight.

Striking

Both Edgar and Henderson have superb striking abilities, but their skill sets are vastly different.

Edgar is more of a boxer, utilizing his punches to set up his powerful take downs. The champion has proven that he can hold his own in the stand-up game—as seen in his fights with former champ BJ Penn—and that he has knock out power, as per his last fight with Gray Maynard at UFC 136.

What Edgar lacks, however, is a diversity in attacks. Unlike the champion, Henderson has the deadly kicks and clinch skills in addition to a pair of heavy hands. With a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Henderson has many unorthodox strikes in his arsenal that keep his opponents on their toes.

Coming from a wrestling background, its amazing to see Edgar's improvement in the striking realm, but Henderson's wide array of attacks gives him a slight edge.

Advantage: Henderson

Wrestling

A former NCAA Division I wrestler from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Edgar has a deep wrestling background that has proven to be an asset in his rise to the top of the division.

Against all challengers, Edgar has been able to utilize his take downs effectively. The current champion is one of the few fighters in history to put BJ Penn and is one of, if not the only person to match Maynard's wrestling.

Henderson has great take down defense and has shown a strong wrestling base himself, but Edgar is on another level and should be able to get Henderson onto the canvas if he so chooses.

Advantage: Edgar

Submissions

Both Edgar and Henderson have brown belts in Brazlian Jiu-Jitsu, making for a great grappling battle if this fight goes to the ground.

Edgar trains under renowned black belts Ricardo Almeida and Renzo Gracie, a strong team that gives the champ an edge in terms of overall grappling.

But when it comes to purely submissions, Henderson's record proves that he is the better tap out artist.  Eight of his 15 victories have come via submission, with notable finishes over Donald Cerrone and former WEC champion Jamie Varner.  Edgar has three submission wins under his belt, with only one coming while in the UFC.

Due to his track record of submitting opponents, as well as his great submission defense, Henderson takes this one.

Advantage: Henderson

Strength

Looking at these two fighters, it is clear that Henderson has a size advantage over the champion.

Henderson has used his strength in the past to control his opponents, implementing his will over fights.

Edgar is no slouch, but he just doesn't possess the same muscularity and power as Henderson. 

Advantage: Henderson

Cardio

While Henderson may have a strength advantage, Edgar has proven that his cardio is as good as almost anyone's in the sport.

In 10 of his 16 fights, Edgar has gone to decision, three of which were five round title fights. Recently showing a penchant for getting rocked early, Edgar's world class conditioning has been an asset to the champ late in fights.

Henderson has shown an improved cardio in his three UFC bouts, but in his last title fight against Anthony Pettis in 2010 the former WEC champ waned late in the fight, calling into question his ability to go five rounds.

Advantage: Edgar

Variables

Edgar: One of the keys to Edgar taking the victory is establishing himself in the opening round. In both his title bouts against Gray Maynard, Edgar nearly got knocked out both times, forcing the champ to make miraculous comebacks. 

While Henderson may not have the knock out power of Maynard, his conditioning will allow him to put pressure on for longer periods of time. If Edgar takes a beating in not just the first, but possibly the second and third round as well, it will be even harder for the champ to make a comeback.

Henderson: For Henderson, the key is to stay out of trouble. Edgar is more explosive and has better hands than his previous opponent, Clay Guida, making for a tougher fighter to read.

"Smooth" needs to steer clear of the take down, as Edgar will have no trouble controlling from the top.  Henderson cannot allow the champion to dictate where the fight goes.

Prediction

There is no question that this bout is going to be an exciting fight, possibly even the Fight of the Night. Both Edgar and Henderson and explosive are well-rounded, all the necessary ingredients for a five round war.  

It's a tough call predicting the winner, but with the champion's track record, he is the favorite—for the first time—going into this fight.  Edgar may not have as diverse a striking background as Henderson, but his heart mixed with his great wrestling and boxing are everything he needs to stay champion.

Henderson will definitely put up a fight and will likely take a round or two, but in the end, he just won't do enough to dethrone the 155 lb. king.

Prediction: Edgar via unanimous decision.

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